NGC3190 · Hickson 44 Group
| Chinese name | 希克森44星系群 |
|---|---|
| Type | Galaxy |
| Constellation | Leo |
| RA | 10h18m |
| Dec | +21° |
| Apparent magnitude | 11ᵐ |
| Hemisphere | Northern |
| Best season | Spring |
| Difficulty | Hard |
| Focal length | 长焦 1000mm+ |
About
Hickson Compact Group 44 (HCG 44) lies about 80 million light-years away in Leo and is one of the most striking compact galaxy groups in the sky, made of four closely clustered galaxies. Its largest member is the edge-on spiral NGC 3190, whose conspicuously bent and warped dust lane reveals gravitational interaction within the group; sharing the frame are the barred spiral NGC 3185, the elliptical NGC 3193 and the spiral NGC 3187, each different in form. Lying close together, these galaxies are undergoing tidal disturbance. With several interacting galaxies in a single frame, it is a richly layered, rewarding compact-group target for long-focus imaging. It is faint and needs dark skies and long exposures.